Machines, commonly called “curbers”, for forming curbs through utilization of slip formers to form the curbs in situ are well known. The slip formers receive wet concrete from a hopper of the moving machine and continuously and simultaneously deposit the wet concrete on the ground and mold it to the desired shape, the curb sometimes being formed with the curb in the shape of a curb gutter, the shape being determined by the internal configuration of the slip former.
The following patent documents are believed to be representative of the present state of the prior art in this field: U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,661, issued Dec. 18, 1973, U.S. Pat. No. 3,188,928, issued June, 1965, U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,512, issued September, 1971, U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,801, issued November, 1967, U.S. Pat. No. 2,181,320, issued November, 1939, U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,859, issued January, 1969, U.S. Pat. No. 2,393,954, issued February, 1946, U.S. Pat. No. 2,664,794, issued January, 1954, U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,452, issued December, 1958, U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,359, issued November, 1970, U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,196, issued June, 1965, U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,354, issued November, 1969, U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,933, issued November, 1970, U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,112, issued August, 1971, U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,131, issued January, 1972. A curb former formerly made available by ProCurb, LLC, Portland, Oreg. is also considered prior art.
The invention disclosed and claimed herein also relates to a self-propelled slip forming apparatus for forming a concrete curb. The term “curb” as employed herein is not limited to curbs per se, but also encompasses curb gutters. The apparatus incorporates numerous advantageous features as compared to the prior art, providing an arrangement that is relatively inexpensive and of simpler construction as compared to prior art approaches. Among other novel features, the invention incorporates a grader which is utilized to level the ground upon which the curb is to be placed. The invention is also characterized by its versatility and ease of use. The apparatus disclosed herein shares some features with the ProCurb curb former referenced above that I invented and the subject of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/455,122, filed May 27, 2009. The slip forming apparatus disclosed herein is compact and stable and also allows ready replenishment of wet concrete in the hopper thereof from any side. Both forward and backward steering is possible. Considerably less suspension structure is employed than utilized by prior art approaches. These and other advantages will be apparent with reference to the specification and drawings hereof.